Aradama Necromancy
by KitchenReno
Summary: Set after the anime, six-year timeskip. 90% Toji, 10% SRW. Kanami X Hiyori, Mai X Sayaka, Kaoru X Ellen, Yukari X Ichikishima


Hiyori Juujou closed her eyes, and steeled her heart. This wasn't an opponent she could afford to go easy on.

With the swiftness of lighting and about as much warning, she charged towards her enemy. The air crackled with sparks and the ground beneath her feet burned as she ran, her eyes locked on her opponent's sword.

It was all very meaningless really; She was defeated immediately despite her best efforts, just as she had known she would be. Fighting against an opponent that could see into the future made the outcome somewhat of a fixed event.

Without speaking, she walked over to the spot on the ground some distance away where her sword had fallen, and picked it up wordlessly.

"Hiyori-Chan-" Kanami Etou said uncomfortably, reaching out a hand, but Hiyori ignored her. Hiyori's face burned with shame at her loss - Except that was wrong. Losing, she could handle. Being so heavily curbstomped was what hurt.

In truth, this wasn't really it either. But she didn't want to admit the real reason to herself.

"Just as expected of the "Invincible Sword Saint," Hiyori said as she sheathed her sword, still not looking at Kanami, "It looks like even I can't keep up with you anymore."

Things were very awkward for a moment.

Then Hiyori spoke again, and it got worse.

"Six years ago, even when I had all the power of Princess Taitsugu, I couldn't beat you," She said flatly, finally meeting Kanami's soft brown eyes, "Now I'm just a normal woman, and you're even stronger."

Hiyori turned away from Kanami. "I can't keep up with you-"

"-It's fine if you don't!" Kanami shouted, rushing over to Hiyori and embracing her tightly from behind, "It really doesn't matter to me at all!"

"I need you, Hiyori-Chan," Kanami said desperately, her hands searching for and then clasping Hiyori's own, "I lost you once, I'm never losing you again."

Hirori flushed, but she also found herself relaxing in Kanami's arms.

Despite herself, she closed her eyes and went limp, gently squeezing Kanami's hands.

"Ugh, why can't you two just have sex like normal people?"

This new voice belonged to Kaoru, who was standing a few yards away, her arms folded and her expression its usual one of irate exhaustion.

"Don't look at me like that, I've been trying to call the pair of you for a half hour," Kaoru continued as Hiyori gave her an openly poisonous glare, putting a hand on her forehead, "You two have been dating for what, eight years now? And you're still wasting your time together by sword fighting?"

"Six years," Kanami corrected Kaoru at the same time as Hiyori said "We're not dating."

"We're not!?" Kanami asked in surprise, but before Hiyori had a chance to respond, Kaoru spoke again.

"Sort out your relationship issues later," She said with a sigh and a wave, "I need you both to come with me. We've got something of a situation."

"Some idiot thought it would be a great idea to try weaponize Noro - Yes, AGAIN -" Kaoru explained as they drove away from Hiyori's house, "Tried to control it by pumping it into a frankenstein style combination of corpse and machine."

Hiyori and Kanami stared in open-mouthed horror.

"Oh, don't worry, it didn't work," Kaoru said with a wolfish grin, "It's just that the Aradama that resulted from his collection of Noro is acting strange.

"What do you mean, "Acting strange" Hiyori asked, her eyes narrowing, but Kaoru just sighed, shook her head, and replied, "You will see when we get there."

Except that they didn't. Or rather they did, it just didn't clear anything up.

Usually, when an Aradama spawned, it went on an indiscriminate rampage.

It did not usually barricade itself inside a house and make demands.

"…Why are there all of these empty Yakisoba cups in the front yard?" Hiyori asked once she had gotten out of the car, "And why is the front window broken?"

As if in answer, something sailed through the broken window towards her head, though Kanami had cut it out of the air before it could hit Hiyori, or before Hiyori could even react to it.

It was an empty yakisoba cup.

"I brought Kanami Etou and Hiyori Juujou," Kaoru called out towards the house, "Now will you stop using the neighbourhood squirrels to steal everyones cup yakisoba?"

"Nene!"

Nene appeared in the window.

"Nene! Nene, nene nene, nene!" It said, before disappearing again.

Kaoru groaned and clapped a hand over her face. "Oh you have GOT to be kidding," She said through gritted teeth, "Nene says that whoever is in there wants you two to go in unarmed, and that I'm supposed to bring Yukari fucking Origami here."

"I'm to old for this garbage," Kaoru said, retrieving her cellphone from the pocket of her suit, and she waved at Kanami and Hiyori. "Go," She said, gesturing towards the house, "Leave your swords here. Nene will protect you if it comes to it, but this aradama is… Different. I don't believe you will be in danger.

After entering the house - Kanami disarmed, Hiyori armed - Hiyori refused to enter unarmed - they saw the squirrel aradama to which Kaoru had been referring.

They were… Different.

Instead of being black and orange, they were white and blue. And they looked less monstrous and more… angelic.

It was weird.

Empty yakisoba cups were scattered all around the inside of the house, just as they had littered the yard outside, and Hiyori saw that the squirrel aradama were preparing more even at that very moment. This was actually how they found the aradama itself, as the squirrels were carrying cups of prepared yakisoba through the house, into the bedroom, and leaving them next to the bed, where a slender, glowing white arm would reach out and pull them under the bed.

"So you have come to destroy me despite my peaceful actions," a depressed voice said from under the bed, "I should have expected as much. Humans and aradama cannot coexist after all. My existence truly is a pointless one."

Kanami looked puzzled, but Hiyori recognized the voice instantly.

"Ichikishima Hime!?" she blurted out in alarm, "You're supposed to be dead!"

End Chapter one.


End file.
